UPDATE: Sorry to confuse. No, this headline did not actually appear in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Everyone knows the Fort Worth Star-Telegram does not cover news of the TRWD Olivergate Scandal type of real news....
On Wednesday I blogged about a letter newly elected TRWD board member, Mary Kelleher, sent to TRWD General Manager, Jim Oliver, in What Is TRWD General Manager Jim Oliver Afraid Will Be Exposed With Full TRWD Transparency?
In part that letter from Mary Kelleher said, “I take very seriously my responsibilities as an elected official and I expect that my attempts to provide the necessary oversight in the future will not be met with raised voice, chest-pounding, disrespect, and other behavior unacceptable for a public servant, let alone the senior executive of the TRWD.”
Rather than man up and own his bad behavior, Jim Oliver opted to use the Nixon-style Lie, Deny and Cover-up method of dealing with a scandal.
Most of us know how well that worked out for Richard Nixon. Apparently Jim Oliver missed that history lesson. I suspect Jim Oliver will meet the same fate as Richard Nixon.
Via TRWD spokesman, Chad Lorance, Jim Oliver strained credibility with the following....
“Ms. Kelleher, accompanied by two unidentified males, appeared unannounced at the District offices on June 21 and requested numerous documents from staff, including some that were confidential in nature. The release of those confidential documents by the district’s staff would have violated provisions of the Texas Government Code."
Chad Lorance continued the obfuscating spin by claiming all requests for information must be reviewed by general counsel for compliance with all laws, with the information requests made only to the TRWD Imperial Dictator, I mean, General Manager, Jim Oliver, adding that “Staff members confirmed that Mr. Oliver did not raise his voice during that discussion."
So, are we to believe that an elected TRWD board member can not examine TRWD documents without Jim Oliver's approval and a review by a lawyer? And there is some Texas Government Code which codifies this bizarre practice?
When Mary Kelleher made her document review request on June 21, why did TRWD employee, Nancy King, accept Mary Kelleher's document review requests, telling Mary Kelleher to return that afternoon, at which time Nancy King would provide the available documents?
Apparently Nancy King had not been advised of the tight security that controls TRWD documents and filters their release through the command of the Imperial Dictator, TRWD General Manager, Jim Oliver.
As for Jim Oliver's claim that TRWD staff members, in the office at the time of his tirade, confirm he did not raise his voice. Well, I can not help but wonder what the result of a lie detector test would be, hooked up to Jim Oliver, or those staff members who were deaf to Oliver's yelling. Or used to hearing it. Or intimidated and bullied by this bureaucratic tyrant.
In other words, if Jim Oliver's judgement was so bad that he gave himself permission to try and intimidate Mary Kelleher with a hysterical tantrum, imagine how he must treat staffers who are not elected officials? Let alone elected officials elected with the most votes in TRWD election history.....
2 comments:
Ford pardoned Nixon for his Watergate crimes. So, Nixon did no time. Who could pardon Jim Oliver for his crimes, so he does no time? Rick Perry?
This part of the world seems to have more than its fair share of what has been called bullycrats, public servants who somehow think they are rulers of the "we the people" who pay their salaries and other perks. Time to keep twisting this Oliver and then flush him down the river.
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